Post by the Scribe on Jul 20, 2020 0:22:33 GMT
Fox News host Tucker Carlson discusses 'Populism and the Right' during the National Review Institute's Ideas Summit at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on March 29, 2019, in Washington, DC. Fox News host Tucker Carlson discusses 'Populism and the Right' during the National Review Institute's Ideas Summit at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel March 29, 2019 in Washington, DC.
How Tucker Carlson went from a CIA reject to the most-watched person on cable news, accused of peddling prejudice to millions
www.yahoo.com/news/tucker-carlson-went-cia-reject-162654238.html
sankel@businessinsider.com (Sophia Ankel)
Business InsiderJuly 19, 2020, 9:26 AM
www.businessinsider.com/fox-news-host-tucker-carlson-biography-of-right-wing-superstar-2020-7
Tucker Carlson, 51, is the host of the "Tucker Carlson Tonight" on Fox News — currently the most-watched cable news program in history.
Before embarking on a career in print and then television journalism, Carlson applied for a job at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) but was rejected.
Over the years, Carlson's controversial comments about immigrants, women, and Black people have landed him in hot water and prompted dozens of companies to pull their advertisements from his show.
Now, prominent Republican figures in the GOP are saying that there is an "emerging consensus" that Carlson would have a strong chance if he were to run for president in 2024.
Drawing an average of 4.3 million viewers in the last quarter, Tucker Carlson is currently the most-watched man in the country.
The Fox News anchor, known for his anti-immigrant views, is becoming increasingly popular with right-wing conservatives.
But he is no stranger to controversy: Over the years, Carlson has made contentious comments about women, immigrants, and Black people that have landed him in hot water and prompted more than a dozen companies to pull their advertisements from his show.
Scroll down to find out how Carlson went from being rejected from the CIA and publicly taken down by Jon Stewart, to drawing massive audiences and being put forward as a likely contender for the 2024 presidency.
Tucker Carlson was born in May 1969 in San Francisco, California into a wealthy family. His father, Richard Warner Carlson, had forged an eventful career in journalism and later politics, and his mother, Lisa McNear, was an artist.
When he was six years old, Carlson's parents split up and his mother left the family to pursue a "bohemian" lifestyle in France, according to the Columbia Journalism Review. Until her death in 2011, Carlson and his little brother, Buckley, had little contact with her.
Speaking of his mother, Carlson once said: "Totally bizarre situation — which I never talk about, because it was actually not really part of my life at all," the New Yorker reported.
Source: New Yorker
At the age of 14, Carlson was sent to a prestigious boarding school on Rhode Island, where he was known for his "beach boy looks" and his ability to dominate the room at the after-dinner debating society.
From the beginning, Carlson's classmates viewed him as "a self-assured conservative who wasn't afraid to speak his mind," the New Yorker reported.
Source: New Yorker
During his time at boarding school, Carlson also met his future wife Susie Andrews, who was the daughter of the then-headmaster, Reverend George Andrews.
The couple got married in 1991 in the chapel at their old high school. They have four children, according to the New York Times.
Carlson and his family are members of The Episcopal Church. During the 2004 Republican National Convention, Carlson said he was "utterly opposed to abortion" and thinks its "horrible" and "cruel" — a stance he still holds today, the Washington Post reported.
Source: New Yorker
It was in 10th grade of boarding school that Carlson also started sporting his signature look: the bow tie.
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Tucker Carlson during a CNN National Town Meeting in Arlington, Virginia, on January 28, 1998. Richard Ellis/Getty Images
The bow tie became Carlson's signature look in his first television job.
When he hosted the nightly program "Tucker" on MSNBC from 2005 to 2008, the television cable advertised his program with posters that read, "The Man. The Legend. The Bow Tie," the New Yorker reported.
Carlson officially got rid of the bow tie look in 2006, when during the final segment of his MSNBC show, he said: "I like bow ties, and I certainly spent a lot of time defending them. But, from now on, I'm going without."
Source: New Yorker
After graduating from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut in 1991, Carlson applied to work for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), but was rejected. It was then that he decided to follow in his father's footsteps and pursue a career in journalism.
FILE - This April 13, 2016 file photo shows the seal of the Central Intelligence Agency at CIA headquarters in Langley, Va. President Donald Trump's nominee to be the CIA's chief watchdog is pledging independence, saying he will perform his role “in an unbiased and impartial manner, free of undue or inappropriate influences” by Trump or anyone else. Peter Thomson, a New Orleans attorney and former federal prosecutor, faced skepticism about his ability to ward off presidential interference at a nomination hearing Wednesday. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
The seal of the Central Intelligence Agency at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, on April 13, 2016. Associated Press
Tucker reportedly only got accepted into Trinity College with the help of his wife, after failing to impress any prestigious universities, according to NowThis News.
Source: NowThis News
After several jobs for weekly newspapers and news magazines, Carlson decided to make the jump to television in 2000. He landed his first memorable roles on the CNN shows "The Spin Room" and "Crossfire."
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Lawrence O'Donnell, Tucker Carlson, and Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas take part in a panel discussion on August 31, 2004, in New York City. Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images
"I had financial demands," Carlson told the New Yorker in 2017 when he was asked why he made the switch to television. "When you're reproducing at that rate, it's kind of unsustainable."
Source: Columbia Journalism Review
Carlson's time on CNN's was marked mainly by one incident on "Crossfire" in 2004 when then-Daily Show host Jon Stewart called him a "d***" and said his program "was hurting America."
jon stewart tucker carlson
Jon Stewart debates Tucker Carlson on CNN's "Crossfire" show on October 15, 2004. Alex Felker/YouTube
Stewart told Carlson that he thought the debate show — that had liberal and conservative pundits challenge each other on political issues — was biased and harmful.
"It's hurting America. Here is what I wanted to tell you guys: Stop. You have a responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably," Stewart said, according to CNN.
The exchange went viral and shortly after, in January 2005, CNN canceled the show and announced they wouldn't renew Carlson's contract.
Carlson later said that he had resigned before the announcement.
"I resigned from "Crossfire" in April [2004], many months before Jon Stewart came on our show, because I didn't like the partisanship, and I thought in some ways it was kind of a pointless conversation…each side coming out, you know, 'Here's my argument,' and no one listening to anyone else. [CNN] was a frustrating place to work."
Source: CNN
In 2006, Carlson participated in Season 3 of "Dancing with the Stars" but was eliminated in the first round. By this point, the TV host had left CNN and was working for MSNBC.
tucker carlson
Tucker Carlson and Elena Grinenko on "Dancing with the Stars the Results Show," on September 13, 2006. Adam Larkey/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images
Source: The Washington Post
Carlson was once a "pretty heroic" drinker according to one of his friends, but quit in 2002. He also reportedly buys nicotine gum in bulk from New Zealand, telling the "Gavin McInnes Show" in 2017 that he spends around $300 a week on it.
tucker carlson
Tucker Carlson, Christopher Buckley, and Jason Reitman pose at the Creative Coalition and The Atlantic Media Company reception on April 29, 2006, in Washington, DC. Nancy Ostertag/Getty Images
Source: Gavin McInnes Show
At the age of 40, Carlson found himself unemployed after MSNBC canceled his show due to low ratings. This prompted him to launch The Daily Caller — a right-wing news website that regularly features articles written by white supremacists.
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Tucker Carlson at the office of the new website, the Daily Caller, on January 6, 2010, in Washington, DC. Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Carlson sold his ownership stake to co-founder Neil Patel in June 2020 and left the site, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Source: Wall Street Journal
In 2009, Carlson joined Fox News as a contributor, appearing on shows like "Fox and Friends" and jumping in as a substitute host of "Hannity."
tucker carlson
Traffic on Sixth Avenue passes by advertisements featuring Fox News personalities, in New York City, on March 13, 2019. Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Source: Politico
In 2016, Fox News gave Carlson his own show "Tucker Carlson Tonight", which would eventually move into former host Bill O'Reilly's prime time slot and become massively popular.
tucker carlson
In this March 2, 2017 file photo, Tucker Carlson, host of "Tucker Carlson Tonight," poses for photos in a Fox News Channel studio, in New York. Richard Drew, File via AP
Source: Insider
Over the years, Carlson has been making headlines with controversial on-air comments about immigrants, women, and Black people. After a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, in 2019, where the shooter left behind a manifesto about a "Hispanic invasion of Texas." Carlson said white supremacy was "not a real problem."
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Tucker Carlson on Fox News. Fox News
Source: Insider
In December 2018, Carlson sparked anger when he said that immigrants would make the country "poorer and dirtier." He never apologized and instead, accused the backlash as being an attack on freedom of speech.
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Tucker Carlson speaks onstage during Politicon 2018 at Los Angeles Convention Center on October 21, 2018, in Los Angeles, California. Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Politicon
Source: Insider
Carlson has also made numerous comments about women. In one debate about President Trump with Teen Vogue contributor Lauren Duca in 2016, Carlson told her to "stick to the thigh-high boots." Duca later said she received extensive online bullying and from men online as a result of the interview.
tucker carlson lauren duca
Tucker Carlson and Lauren Duca. Screenshot via YouTube
Source: Insider
Most recently, Carlson found himself in more controversy after a CNN investigation found that his top writer, Blake Neff, was posting racist and sexist comments online under a pseudonym.
Tucker Carlson
Tucker Carlson on "Tucker Carlson Tonight." @foxnews/Twitter
Source: CNN
The Fox News hosts contentious comments have prompted several companies to pull their advertisements from his show on numerous occasions.
Tucker Carlson
Tucker Carlson. Fox News
Most recently, Carlson's comments about the Black Lives Matter movement lost him high-profile advertisers including Disney and Papa John's, according to Politico.
In a 25-minute monologue in June that has drawn more than 5.4 million views on YouTube, Carlson said: "This may be a lot of things, this moment we are living through. But it is definitely not about black lives, and remember that when they come for you."
Source: Insider
But over the years, Carlson's viewing numbers have shot up. "Tucker Carlson Tonight" is currently the most-watch cable news program in history and also attracts well over 60 million views on YouTube.
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Tucker Carlson. Twitter
Source: Forbes
As Carlson sees growing success on his TV show, there are rumors that the could become a favored predecessor to President Trump. According to Politico, more than a dozen prominent Republicans said there's an "emerging consensus" in the GOP that the Fox News host would have a strong chance if he were to run for president in 2024.
donald trump tucker carlson
Tucker Carlson interviews President Donald Trump on July 2, 2019. Fox News
In the past, Carlson has denied ever having an interest in running for president. He also declined to comment on the Politico article.
Source: Politico
SEE ALSO: All the most controversial things Fox News host Tucker Carlson has said over the years
www.businessinsider.com/tucker-carlson-controversies-comments-immigrants-women-fox-news-2019-3